Yeo reflects on season, looks ahead to next year

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo says he would much rather be preparing for Game 7, instead he spent time with reporters Thursday in his final press conference of the season.

"To be honest, I'm still a little bitter," said Yeo. "The season just comes to a grinding halt and there's still some disbelief."

Yea says he plans to go fishing next week, a trip that will help heal some of the emotional wounds following a fluky, game-winning goal Tuesday night.

"There's an empty feeling," he told reporters. "We believed there was more hanging there for us."

Next season is five months away, but Yeo says the work will begin soon as they use the 2013-2014 season as fuel to make even more strides and continue what he calls a "culture of winning."

"Next year is going to be hard again, but we should have higher goals and higher expectations," said Yeo. "It starts in the off-season, how you prepare and how you train. That's your foundation for the season.

In the last year of his three-year contract, Yeo says he's received some indications that a contract extension could come soon. He plans on meeting with management next week.

"We're talking about the future," he said. "I need to improve as a coach, too."